Music: Devendra Banhart

Jeff Hemmings takes a look at the adventurous artist

With seven albums under his belt it seems the Texas born (raised in Venezuela) singer Devendra Banhart (his parents were both acolytes of Indian guru Prem Rawat, who gave Devendra his first name, which is another name for the Lord Indra, the Hindu god of rain) has renewed his eclectic sound, even got rid of his beard, but he’s still got his freak folk on even if it has been tamed a little…

Born in Houston, Texas, he’s resided in Los Angeles, Paris and Venezuela, and now lives in New York City. Upon arriving back in America aged 13, he couldn’t speak any English, and this has perhaps helped him develop an idiosyncratic style, musically and artistically, where salsa, merengue and cumbia meets Nirvana via Vashti Bunyan. Already on his eighth album, Mala depicts the sad echoes of ruined affection, and was once again made with his longtime bandmate, guitarist Noah Georgeson.

They played most of the instruments, using borrowed equipment and a vintage Tascam recorder they’d found in a pawn shop, lending the album a more fragmented feel than normal. Banhart’s penchant for self-mocking has given way to a new found confidence; his previous hippie look being replaced by something approaching dapper; he’s even been appearing in adverts with his photographer fiancée, Ana Kras.

But that vibrato remains, as does his random kookiness, something he plays up to, maddeningly sometimes, whether as a musician or as an artist, a parallel career that has seen him exhibited around the world. He always does his own artwork. Banhart’s previous release, 2009’s What Will We Be, was critical acclaimed, with Rolling Stone calling it “the best he’s ever made”. The Los Angeles Times said the record “found him making comfortable, laid-back folk that didn’t sound like a compromise – more like an artist growing into his own.”

For Banhart, his career remains “an adventure and an exploration.” Mala reveals a natural maturation of his style, especially as a singer. Banhart admits: “I don’t really take care of my voice, but, just like with playing guitar, you get more familiar with it, and you get better at it. I’ve always said that I’m very good at not knowing how to play the guitar but, really, it’s just that I’m very comfortable with the utter uncertainty of my approach.”
Rather self-deprecating to the last, he calls his music ‘unpopular pop music’. However, his many fans would beg to disagree – this show sold out a long time ago…

The Old Market, Friday 28 June, 7pm, SOLD OUT